Into the Fire

Dennis Erickson's a frightening choice to lead a college football program plagued by murder and NCAA violations

Two former Arizona State University football players have died from bullet wounds to the head.

One is known worldwide for giving up National Football League riches to go to war. Killed by friendly fire in April 2004, Pat Tillman is hailed as a hero, his name enshrined at Sun Devil Stadium.

The other toiled in obscurity off the field, hoping to earn his college degree. Killed by ASU football star Loren Wade in March 2005, Brandon Falkner is the gunshot victim ASU would rather forget.

Giulio Sciorio

Tony Blei

Dennis Erickson, ASU's new football coach

ASU has gone to great lengths to ensure that the legacy of ex-Sun Devil and Arizona Cardinal Tillman, 27 when he died, won't be forgotten.

ASU has done nothing to commemorate the tragedy that left Falkner, 25, dead and Wade, 23, sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"It would be nice to see some respect for Brandon," says his older brother, Jelani Falkner.

One way to have paid homage to Falkner, an ex-member of the ASU football team when he was shot to death, would've been for the school to overhaul its football program to make sure blue-chip athletes, such as Wade, aren't given special treatment when they get in trouble.

Another way would've been to replace fired coach Dirk Koetter with a coach whose integrity couldn't be assailed, whose past couldn't be questioned.

Instead, ASU President Michael Crow and Athletic Director Lisa Love hired Dennis Erickson last December to replace the beleaguered Koetter.

Erickson, 60, brings immediate cachet to Tempe thanks to two national championships at the University of Miami in 1989 and 1991. But he also brings a disturbing history, especially considering that his predecessor, Koetter, came under fire for coddling thugs like Wade.

Erickson's Miami teams were constantly in trouble with police. No fewer than a dozen scholarship players were arrested in 1994, his final season there. His hiring at ASU sends a clear signal that winning and cash flow are far more important to ASU than rehabilitating the moral fiber of a football program muddied by murder.

The selection stunned Don Crampton, a Phoenix attorney who represented the Falkner family in a wrongful-death suit filed against ASU and Koetter that was dismissed in November 2006. The court ruled that the university and Koetter had no special duty to control Wade's off-campus conduct and can't be held liable for negligence in connection with Falkner's death.

The ruling cleared the way for ASU to hire Erickson, who has a history of recruiting players he can't control, without fear of legal consequences if another off-campus tragedy occurs.

"Nobody cares," Crampton said, referring to Erickson's hiring at a program that ignored the dangerous behavior of a star player who wound up killing a former player in the parking lot of a Scottsdale nightclub. "They just want to win at all costs."

Crow and Love are betting Erickson will field a winning team that will fill the 73,379-seat Sun Devil Stadium and pump money into the athletic department saddled with an onerous $30 million debt.

"I could sell tickets to his practice," Love said upon Erickson's hiring.

Season-ticket sales for the 2007 season that began Saturday, September 1, with a 45-3 win over San Jose State have slipped to 36,000, down from 42,000 last year, despite lower ticket prices.

Stagnant ticket sales will be the least of ASU's problems if off-the-field issues that plagued Erickson's six seasons in Miami occur in Tempe. Gunplay, sexual escapades, police raids, arrests, drug abuse, boozing, a federal grand jury probe, and cash bonuses to players who made the best hits in games served as the notorious backdrop to Miami's success on the field.

All this was accompanied by rapper Luther Campbell, of 2 Live Crew, strutting the Hurricane sidelines during games and doling out booze and money to players at his nightclubs.

Under Erickson's tenure, Miami's football program committed debauchery to the point that Sports Illustrated published a famous June 12, 1995, feature with the incendiary headline "Why the University of Miami Should Drop Football" on the magazine's cover instead of a photograph.

SI had run another cover story blasting Erickson  who'd left Miami in January 1995 to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks  for lack of leadership in the wake of his arrest in Washington State for extreme DUI. Erickson recorded a .23 on blood-alcohol tests, more than twice the legal limit, and entered a deferred-prosecution program that required him to receive treatment for alcoholism.

Eleven months into Erickson's tenure at Seattle, the NCAA levied severe sanctions against Miami's football program, stripping 34 scholarships, placing the university on probation for three years, and banning the team from appearing in a bowl game.

The disgrace in Miami, along with the glory of two championships, is part of the legacy of the coach ASU hired to make over a troubled football program scarred by the reckless behavior of favored players. The football team already is on probation for violating NCAA rules, and the university is required to submit detailed reports to the NCAA on reforms it's making to comply with NCAA rules. It's the eighth time that ASU's athletic department has been slapped with NCAA sanctions  the most in the nation.

What a bunch of crap this is now... Look at the football program now, Erickson is Named Coach of the year, and what a bunch of nonsense this article states.. No sound basis for any of the arguments and when its all said and done, I'd like to see a new article titled " I was wrong about Erickson" The person who wrote this article is the person who see's a murderer in his own Mother.. Always dwelling on the negative and never looking at the positives. Spout out an article like this then he comes in and people love the guy and he does wonders for a football program in such a short period of time, and then reading this article is like a joke.

Nice to see you back. Well written, thoughtful, insightful, and as always, well-researched. If it were written about my university I might hate it too, because it's written about my State's university it troubles me greatly. ASU fans, look at the evidence. Maybe DE has changed. 1995 has been a few years. Hopefully we've all done some growing and changing in those years, and IF he is in recovery now from alcohol abuse he may be a totally, totally different man and coach. Maybe, we can wait and see for a little while.

I am a grad of ASU and love the school with all my heart but I am saddened by all the people calling John's story leftist, commie etc. A few things for you right leaning name callers:1) Being "Liberal" is not being Communist. BIG FRIGGIN DIFFERENCE!2) The Arizona Republic is not the bastion of fact that you make it out to be! (I believe Joltin' Joe Arpio's Son-In-Law is an editior...Yead that leads to unbiased journalism)3) DE as you call him is scum! He was scum in Miami, He was Scum in Washington and he will be Scum here. You can shine a turd all you want but it is still a turd.4) Every other Sports program at ASU have great coaches who wouldn't let their athletes act like Coach Koetter let his players act5) It doesn't matter if the guys girlfriend was rich or poor, everyone is to blame for that young man's death

And Finally5) I hope the Devils do win more games, pack the stadium, have no problems etc. But I know that at least one of those won't happen.

ASU used to feature in Playboy's Top Ten Party Schools issues in the 70s.That was bad enough but even that was preferable to the kinds of things coming out now - the fabricated "Muslim hate" incidents, the porn movie scandal, the "I can get away with DUI manslaughter if I'm an international student from Kuwait" scandal, the repellent treatment of senior faculty, and the open secret about the appalling levels of cheating - especially among international grad students. I wonder if PBS is aware of the extent to which ASU treats KAET as "its own personal television station." I've never seen so much hype on any other PBS affiliate.

Jeeze, listen to the little ASU homers squeal like the little bitches they are! All they care about is whether the ASU football team wins, which is pretty much what John Dougherty said with this story. Only he was referring to the administration. Otherwise why would they hire a scumbag like Dennis Erickson? As long as the Sun Devils win football games, murder, rape, whatever is great. I would like to see the credentials of the guy above who claims to have 15 years' experience as a jouirnalist. At the Weekly Reader? Notice nobody complaining here has the balls to sign his name. Just a pack of pussies, like most ASU fan-roids. What a fucking idiot this so-called journalist is, along with the others who claim this story is fact-challenged. Fuckheads, it's right from the NCAA report and the headlines! Sports Illustrated covers and an NCAA investigation don't lie. Erickson is a loser personally, even if he does win a few more games than Koetter. But even the jury's out on that.

Why don't you write an article blaming his rich little girlfriend who was more to blame, she knew his personality more than anyone else and covered for it repeatedly. If she'd have done what she should have, Faulkner would be alive. How would Koetter not think Wade's previous transgretions weren't blown out of proportion when Haley kept sticking up for him. Blame her, blame her parents... they were the enablers.

The biased, one-sided "reporting" of this left-wing rag never ceases to amaze me. THe only reason why I came across this article was because the link was posted on www.devilsdigest.com. After reading the whole thing, I was amazed at the amount of space wasted mainly on one subject: The Miami infractions. Erickson, Love, and Crow aren't trying to forget about Erickson's past, rather they are trying to put it behind them to become a better program. I find it interesting that you don't even address that.Brandon Falkner is dead because Loren Wade shot him. THAT"S IT!!! Stop shifting the blame around. If anybody failed anybody, the jury at the trial failed us. Wade should have been convicted of murder 1 and facing the death penalty (oops.........too conservative for you, huh).Fair and balanced reporting do not exist with the New Times (never has). That's why the author of this story has a home here and no self respecting print media outlet (like the Tribune or the Republic) will go near him. This liberal, anti-ASU rag belongs in the craphole down south (yes, I mean Tucson). Better yet, the ASU school of journalism should hold the New Times as an example of "what not to be."

As a journalist for more than 15 years, I believe The Phoenix New Times has dropped the ball on this one. Your reporter might as well be a prosecutor. The reporter has presented a case to support an argument, while leaving out huge portions of fact to make the case appear stronger. Here�s the problem. You are supposed to present a fair and balanced report of all the facts and you have failed miserably. So, without getting into all the examples (because I know you don�t need them � they're right in front of you with your research) I will just say this ... when you are in journalism for a while you can see when something is just plain wrong with a report (and this is a great example of that). Let�s be honest. This report has an "all or nothing" approach. I�m sure one of the goals was to generate a lot of talk, controversy, and emotion. Why? To get more people to pick up your paper. Your company is in the business of making money and this article is a means to an end. I believe there are good people working at your paper and I also believe there are people who are misguided. If you truly step back from this report you can clearly see the article is a microcosm of what is wrong with journalism today (a lack of journalist ethics) and I am sure many would agree ... articles like this are perpetuating a slow and methodical death to journalism as we know it.

As a journalist for more than 15 years, I believe The Phoenix New Times has dropped the ball on this one. Your reporter might as well be a prosecutor. He/She has presented a case to support an argument, while leaving out huge portions of fact to make the case appear stronger. Here�s the problem. You are supposed to present a fair and balanced report of all the facts and you have failed miserably. So, without getting into all the examples (because I know you don�t need them � they're right in front of you with your research) I will just say this ... when you are in journalism for a while you can see when something is just plain wrong with a report (and this is a great example of that). Let�s be honest. This report has an "all or nothing" approach. I�m sure one of the goals was to generate a lot of talk, controversy, and emotion. Why? To get more people to pick up your paper. Your company is in the business of making money and this article is a means to an end. I believe there are good people working at your paper and I also believe there are people who are misguided. If you truly step back from this report you can clearly see the article is a microcosm of what is wrong with journalism today (a lack of journalistt ethics) and I am sure many would agree ... articles like this are perpetuating a slow and methodical death to journalism as we know it.

Typical of a left-wing rag to blame a high profile target like ASU; a target with deep pockets, for the independent, willful actions of a student athlete like L. Wade. I think the fact that the Fulakner wrongful death suit was dismissed in summary judgement speaks for itself. Wade was a ticking time-bomb; and one could easily argue suspending him prior to his rampage would have triggered this maniac to commit crimes more horrific than the Faulkner tragedy. But hey, you can't sue a psychotic running back with no money; so lets hire a scumbag leach attorney to argue ASU was vicariously liable for homicide....what a joke; but you have to love the attorney's effort...he probably had visions of new vacation home dancing in his head.

With respect those "major" NCAA violations, here's a list of those horiffic violations:

whoa nilly....food, lodging, paying a 20.00 phone bill....whoa...stop the presses New Times..ASU's athletic program is the Rikers Island of the SW...

Mr. Dougherty, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent article were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

This is the worst article I have ever read, and reeks of poor journalism, a clear bias, and terrible writing skills. I suppose the author of this must be practicing for future employment with the Weekly World News.

And, for anyone that has ever read Harry Potter, notice the uncanny resemblence to this writer's style, and the blatant style of muckraker Rita Skeeter. ... the only difference is, Ms. Skeeter's lies and hyperbole actually make sense pertaining to the article.

This piece, it took 6 pages to bash ASU's football program-- jumping from Miami, to Pat Tillman, to some players girlfriend, to.... oh that's right, it's just a hodge podge of meaningless snippets, none of which are related to each other in any way.

This is the first and last time I'll come to this site. And with a population of over 55,000 don't you think it's quite possible some bad things might happen? And just STOP with the bashing on Erickson... Pessimistic or jealous people NEVER seem to get over the past and see what has changed. Some ASU alum you are.

Only read the first page of your article and found two things wrong already:

Season tickets sales actually passsed last year early last month. If check with the Sun Devil ticket office or the article that was written in a real newspaper "The Republic" you would have seen this. Your number for this year did not include student tickets which are usually sold during the month of August. Guess thats why you are wiritng for a free newspaper.

Also season ticket prices went up this year. If you were to have done the correct research you would have found out there are more home games therefore increase in season ticket price.

Good try on writing a Doom and Gloom article to create controversy to attract readers. You should be so proud.

Only read the first page of your articel and found two things wrong already:

Season tickets sales actually passsed last year early last month. If check with the Sun Devil ticket office or the article that was written in a real news the "The Republic" you would have seen this. Guess thats why you are wiritng for a free newspaper.

Also season ticket prices went up if you were to have done the correct research. Reason being, there are more home games.

Good try on writing a Doom and Gloom article to create controversy to attract readers. You should be so proud.

Thank GOD we don't dwell on the past huh? Hmm what is the quickest way to try and make ASU look bad? OH lets go ahead and point our finger's at DE and ASU's past AGAIN. Its not like ASU has a spotless record, and neither does DE. But lets pretend for a second that this HASN'T already been talked about. Lets pretend this is actually "new news". It is obvious you are running out of things to knock ASU for.

Saying that ASU is offending Falkner's image by hiring DE is the most rediculous journalism I have ever seen.

How about you don't rip on DE at ASU unless something actually happens. Thats a novel thought.

Nice liberal commi write-up. Surprised you did not blame all of Mike Vick�s problems on DE. Guess what, when this team is winning *with DE* there will be 72k out to support ASU. It�s obvious that ASU is the only school with problems. When you have the 2nd highest enrollment in the country you are bound to have some bad apples. And high profile athletes that don�t receive preferential treatment would be against the norm anywhere in this country. DE wins period. Consider that pretty much all of the athletic department is funded by the football program, it needs to get back to an elite level. How about you move to Tucson and write how great the �Spread Your Legs� offense is working for that spazz throwing fits blaming everyone except himself.

John, Welcome back! You have no idea how much the pubilc and the press have missed you. We appreciate your need to move on and get away, but so glad that you came back to us. I read what I could from you in High Country News, but it will be brilliant having you back in the valley bringing us stories closer to home. We've barely been "Via Con Dios"-ing without you. Give us the inside goop on Sheriff Joe, Mark Goudeau, and the UEP. No one else can compete with your research and writing. You give us something to look forward to on Thursday's. Thanks.